The Burberry Rebrand: What does it mean for the world of brand?
5 minute read…
Daniel Lee took over as Burberry’s new Creative Director back in October 2022, this week we saw the first taste of his vision for the fashion house. In a number of key moves, Lee has brought back Burberry’s iconic Equestrian Knight asset, first created in 1901 and removed completely in 2018 by former Creative Director Riccardo Tisci. Daniel Lee’s first campaign visuals showcase a strong style, boasting high contrast and close-up compositions. Captured by Tyrone Lebon in a drizzly London, the rich imagery features some famous faces and paints a picture steeped in Britishness.
An interesting element I couldn’t help but notice was the new Burberry word-mark. Daniel Lee’s interpretation moves away from the bold, sans serif typeface, replaced with a softer serif in royal blue. A particularly interesting decision after Burberry gained huge traction and attention with a change in logo less than five years ago during the Tisci era.
Firstly, it is worth addressing the infamous mock-up that went viral mocking brands like YSL, Burberry, Balmain & co, who all moved from intricate, interesting logos to bold, capitalised versions - in turn creating a sea of sameness in the designer brand sector. This mock-up (shown below) was often used to articulate the lack of originality in contemporary branding. However, this new expression for Burberry moves away from the conventions of the last five or ten years, opting for a new aesthetic, full of personality.
Image Credit: Digital Flare
At Unfound, this rebrand really got us thinking - the idea that within a five year period your logo is allowed to change, and those shifts aren’t seen as a negative, is an innovative territory for a discipline that, for the most part, celebrates the unchanged as a badge of honour. Good branding is often closely associated with timelessness and for a long time the idea was that a successful logo was one that didn’t need to change. In this case, perhaps Burberry’s logo change is not a sign of failure, but instead an example of a contemporary brand system, where logos and identities are free to evolve to resonate with new audiences and to find meaning in changing cultural landscapes.
For us, our work with start-ups and smaller businesses has meant we’ve already seen a move to more contemporary brand systems. Brands that are agile enough to implement logos that evolve and show up differently depending on the touchpoint or platforms is something we are used to. Just look at the top left of the page right now… our logo continuously morphs and changes, reflecting the iterative and ever-evolving nature of the creative process. Gone are the days of strict brand guidelines and notes like “Please maintain 5px spacing around the logo at all times” – that thinking is old hat…
Old Hat
New Hat
Of course, we are far from the only example of a brand thinking about their identity differently. This change in thinking is often underpinned by the idea that logos can be functional tools, not just a reminder that you are in the right place. We created a system for Home a few years back where their sub-brands were born from their master brand. We weren’t precious or overly protective of the logo, instead we celebrated its ability to host other elements and become a story-telling tool for the brand, beyond a signpost.
Home Rebrand 2021
This move to more contemporary identity systems is rife in SMEs, who can test and learn without risking their reputation. Institutions like Burberry are often victims of their own success in this sense, a reputation recognisable across the globe and brand equity built over 167 years. However, perhaps we are now seeing this notion flipped on its head. Burberry’s equity in the word ‘Burberry’, meaning the design execution of that name, may be less important - blue now and lowercase tomorrow, what is important is that it is used as a tool that can be utilised to drive relevancy.
As a Creative Director, I am fascinated by this idea that the brand assets of an institution like Burberry are open for interpretation. Five years on from Tisci’s manifestation of the brand, a new Creative Director means a whole new vibe, and that’s okay, in fact… that’s exciting. The idea that one of the oldest fashion houses in the world can continue to innovate based on its audience and reimagine itself based on the cultural landscape it finds itself in, is really cool space for the future of brand. The big takeaway for us is that we are moving into a space where brands finally have the permission to evolve, to mean something different now to what they do in five years – a concept that gets us excited!
If you know more examples of innovative logo usage, we’d love to see them, our Instagram and LinkedIn DMs are always open! Alternately, if you want to find out what a contemporary identity system might mean for your brand, drop me a note at hello@unfound.studio, I’d love to help.
